Among the useful and convenient appendages to the farm and country
family establishment, is the ice-house. Different from the general
opinion which prevailed in our country before ice became so important an
article of commerce, and of home consumption, the building which
contains it should stand above-ground, instead of below it. And the
plainer and more simple it can be constructed, the better.
The position of the ice-house may be that which is most convenient to
the dwelling, or to the wants of those who use it. If it can be placed
beneath the shade of trees, it will so far be relieved from the
influence of the sun; but it should be so constructed that sunshine will
not affect the ice within it, even if it stand unsheltered; and as it
has, by the ice-merchants of our eastern cities, who put up large
quantities for exportation abroad, and others in the interior, who
furnish ice in quantity for home consumption, been proved to be
altogether the better plan to build the ice-house entirely above ground,
we shall present no other mode of construction than this. It may be
added, that five years' experience with one of our own building, has
confirmed our opinion of the superiority of this over any other plan
which may be adopted.
The design here presented is of the most economical kind, yet
sufficiently ornamental to make it an agreeable appendage to any family
establishment. The size may be 12 feet square--less than that would be
too small for keeping ice well--and from that up to any required extent.
The idea here given is simply the _principle_ of construction. The posts
should be full eight feet high above the ground, to where the plate of
the roof is attached, and built thus:
[Illustration: ICE-HOUSE.]
Mark out your ground the size you require for the house; then,
commencing at one corner, dig, opposite each other, a double set of
holes, one foot deep, and two and a half feet apart, on each side of the
intended building, say three feet equidistant, so that when the posts
stand up they will present a double set, one and a half feet apart. Then
set in your posts, which should be of oak, chestnut, or some lasting
wood, and pack the earth firmly around them. If the posts are sawed,
they may be 4x6 inches in size, set edgeways toward each other. If not
sawed, they may be round sticks cut from the woods, or split from the
body of a tree, quartered--but sizable, so as to appear decent--and the
insides facing each other as they stand up, lined to a surface to
receive the planking. Of course, when the posts are set in the ground,
they are to show a square form, or skeleton of what the building is to
be when completed. When this is done, square off the top of each post to
a level, all round; then frame, or spike on to each line of posts a
plate, say six inches wide, and four to six inches deep, and stay the
two plates together strongly, so as to form a double frame. Now, plank,
or board up closely the _inside_ of each line of posts, that the space
between them shall be a fair surface. Cut out, or leave out a space for
a door in the center of the side where you want it, two and a half or
three feet wide, and six and a half feet high, and board up the inner
partition sides of this opening, so as to form a door-casing on each
side, that the space between the two lines of posts may be a continuous
box all around. Then fill up this space between the posts with moist
tan-bark, or saw-dust, well packed from the ground up to the plates; and
the body of the house is inclosed, sun-proof, and air-proof, to guard
the ice.
Now lay down, inside the building, some sticks--not much matter what, so
that they be level--and on them lay loose planks or boards, for a floor.
Cover this floor with a coating of straw, a foot thick, and it is ready
to receive the ice.
For the roof, take common 3x4 joists, as rafters; or, in place of them,
poles from the woods, long enough, in a pitch of full 35deg from a
horizontal line, to carry the roof at least four feet over the outside
of the plates, and secure the rafters well, by pins or spikes, to them.
Then board over and shingle it, leaving a small aperture at the top,
through which run a small pipe, say eight inches in diameter--a
stove-crock will do--for a ventilator. Then set in, 4 little posts, say
two feet high--as in the design--throw a little four-sided, pointed cap
on to the top of these posts, and the roof is done. If you want to
ornament the under side of the roof, in a rude way--and we would advise
it--take some pieces of 3x4 scantling, such as were used for the roof,
if the posts are of sawed stuff--if not, rough limbs of trees from the
woods, to match the rough posts of the same kind, and fasten them to the
posts and the under side of the roof, by way of brackets, as shown in
the design.
When the ice is put into the house, a close floor of boards should be
laid on joists, which rest on the plates, loosely, so that this floor
can be removed when putting in ice, and that covered five or six inches
deep with tan, or saw-dust--straw will do, if the other can not be
had--and the inside arrangement is complete. Two doors should be
attached to the opening, where the ice is put in and taken out; one on
the inner side of the lining, and the other on the outer side, both
opening out. Tan, saw-dust, or straw should also be placed on the top of
the ice, when put in, so as to keep the air from it as much as possible;
and as the ice is removed, it will settle down upon, and still preserve
it. Care must be taken to have a drain under the floor of the house, to
pass off the water which melts from the ice, as it would, if standing
there, injure its keeping.
It will be seen, that, by an error in the cut of the ground plan, the
inside line of posts does not show, as in the outer line, which they
should do; nor is the outside door inserted, as is shown in the
elevation. These defects, however, will be rectified by the builder.
We have given considerable thought to this subject, and can devise no
shape to the building more appropriate than this, nor one cheaper in
construction. It may be built for fifty to a hundred dollars, according
to the cost of material and labor, and the degree of finish given to it.
It is hardly worth while to expatiate upon the convenience and economy
of an ice-house, to an American. Those who love well-kept meats, fruits,
butter, milk, and various etceteras for the table, understand its
utility well; to say nothing of the cooling draughts, in the way of
drinks, in hot weather, to which it adds--when not taken to
extremes--such positive luxury. We commend the ice-house, _well-filled_,
most heartily, to every good country housekeeper, as a matter of
convenience, economy, and luxury, adding next to nothing to the living
expenses, and, as an appendage to the main buildings, an item of little
cost, and a considerable degree of ornament.
If an under-ground ice-house be preferred to the plan here shown, a side
hill, or bank, with a northerly exposure, is the best location for it;
and the manner of building should be mainly like this, for the body of
the house. The roof, however, should be only two-sided, and the door for
putting in and taking out the ice may be in the gable, on the ground
level. The drainage under the floor, and precautions for keeping the
ice, should be quite as thorough as we have described; as, otherwise,
the earth surrounding it on three sides, at least, of the house, will be
a ready conductor of warmth, and melt the ice with great rapidity. If
the under-ground plan is adopted, but little more than the roof will
show, and of course, be of little ornament in the way of appearance.